^REPORT. 8+- 



Natal Botanic Gardens, 

 Durban, January, 1901. 



To the President and Committee, 



Durban Botanic Society. 



Gentlemen, 



I regret that in offering this, my Nineteenth Annual 

 Report on the Botanic Gardens and its work, that I have to 

 chronicle one of the driest, if not quite the driest year on re- 

 cord, and following a year like the last in which the rainfall 

 was 12.37 below the average of the previous 26 years, the effect 

 is much more felt than it would have been had the rainfall for 

 189.^ been at all near the average. By the record given below 

 it will be seen that the last year's rainfall was no less than 

 13.20 inches below the average of the last 28 years. 



RAINFALL AT BOTANIC GARDENS, DURBAN, FROM 1873 TO 1900 

 INCLUSIVE. 



1873 . 



. 42.21 



1874 . 



. 55.06 



1875 . 



. 54.78 



1876 . 



. 35.23 



1877 . 



. 35.67 



1878 . 



. 28.24 



1879 . 



. 44.46 



1880 . 



. 47.63 



1881 . 



. 35.65 



1882 . 



. 36.21 



1883 . 



. 44.52 



1884 . 



. 44.56 



1885 . 



. 34.06 



1886 . 



. 31.79 



1887 . 



. 31.87 



1888 . 



. 37.74 



1889 . 



. 2:^.28 



1890 . 



. 32.90 



1891 . 



. 45.45 



1892 . 



. 38.37 



1893 . 



. 71.27 



1894 . 



. 37.27 



lb 95 . 



. 51.50 



1896 . 



. 39.63 



1897 . 



. 34.39 



18^8 . 



. 42.48 



1899 . 



. 28.75 



27 I 1091.97 



1900 



40.44 

 27.24 



Below average 13.20 



